Butterflies

These butterflies can be kinda tricky.  They don't always want to come out. 

This was our wounded butterfly.  He only had one wing.  It was a good opportunity to talk about how fragile some of our creatures are.  This friend was very gentle as he placed the butterfly in the bush so it could eat.

Two of them cooperated and let us hold them.  The others just flew off without looking back!

If you give a kid a camera. . . .

Our new helicopter!  We love it.  Thank you.

I took this one. . .we're working on symmetry.

Except for the pictures of the helicopter and our work on symmetry, the kids took the rest of the pictures of things they thought were important in our classroom.  The plants we are growing, the seeds that are sprouting, the butterflies that are emerging from their chrysalis, their friends and Sadie, and even the teachers made the list. They did a good job!

The kids are doing an amazing job of recognizing shapes that are symmetrical and building symmetrical figures. We are also using cuisenaire rods to figure out differents equations that add up to 10.

Grandparents Day

First, the Navigators came, 

then the Creators came, 

and finally, the Octopi came.

It was tutu day today. 

We've been working very hard,

we wrote books,

created tide pools,

wrote facts about the tide pools, 

made individual art glass masterpieces, 

and put it all on display for Grandparents Day.

We love showing what we've been working on.

Nobody loves you like a grandparent.

There's a special bond there,

it was wonderful to watch!

The Ladybugs have been preparing for Grandparents Day for several weeks.  They have been drawing and writing and creating.  It's been a lot of work for them.  Friday, it was all worth it!  First, the big kids visited the classroom to read their books and write notes of encouragement to put in their books.  Then came the main event!  Friends and relatives visited with the kids and talked about they had been learning.  

The impact of having the big kids visit the classroom to encourage the little ones is immeasurable.  The Ladybugs swell with pride, the older kids make kind comments and oo and ahh at all the right times.  I can't thank them and their teachers enough for supporting us.  The younger kids come away from these interactions with feelings of accomplishment and validation that they are doing important work.  Then the grandparents come and show they, too, think that the children's education is important enough that they made time to come check us out. Thank you.

Painting with friends

How many children can paint at one table?  About 22.

These fish look great hanging from our ceiling!

New math manipulatives-giant pattern blocks.

This was a very busy week!  We have been creating glass art with our artist in residence this week.  We have one more week to complete our projects.  Wait until you see our masterpieces!

Thank you for all the flowers, chocolates, gifts and cards for teacher appreciation week.  We all feel thoroughly spoiled.  It was very much appreciated.

Fun in the Ladybugs!

If you've noticed anything about our class, you've probably noticed we like a little  organized chaos!

The energy and creativity are amazing when you bring in a few friends.

The spring weather means more opportunities to use the sand box,.

Writing a book requires

a little quiet,

a few friends to share ideas with,

some inspiration,

a great deal of discussion,

the correct tools,

and a great idea!

Math night-it was a lot of fun!

These friends chose "gardening"  for their enrichment class.

It was a lot of work.

Then you just need a few minutes to play with your friends.

The time is just flying by in the Ladybug class!  We are so busy with our projects.  We are learning more about tide pools and starting on metamorphosis this week.  Each of the children started writing a story in a hardcover book this week.  That is very exciting.  They are working on putting their ideas into their illustrations and then dictating the story to me.  We'll be sharing our books and other projects with our guests at Grandparent/Special Friends day on May 17th.